Police In Rochester ID Shooting Victims

Diane LaVoie

May 19, 2025

Police in Rochester have identified the two men shot to death on the front porch of a Wolff Street home last week as 55-year-old Michael Franklin and Eric Stephens, 58.

Franklin and Stephens both lived in the neighborhood and were fatally shot around 11:30 p.m. on May 15.

The two men died at the scene with gunshot wounds to their upper bodies.

Police records indicate that the two deaths have increased the tally of the city’s homicides cases to 11 in 2025.

Police investigators are still piecing the details of the incident together but no significant clue has emerged to help solve the case.

About the author
Diane LaVoie
With over two decades of business journalism experience, Diane LaVoie has been leading our business coverage since 2017. A Nashua native and UNH graduate, Diane spent ten years at the Boston Globe covering regional economics before returning to her home state to raise her family. Her specialty is connecting national economic trends to local impacts, making complex financial news accessible to everyday readers. Diane has developed a respected column, "Granite State Business," featuring profiles of local entrepreneurs and analyzing economic development in New Hampshire's diverse communities from the North Country to the Massachusetts border. She serves on the board of the New Hampshire Small Business Development Center and frequently speaks at community events about the state's economic outlook. Outside of work, Diane is an avid gardener, cookbook collector, and youth soccer coach. She lives in Bedford with her husband and twin daughters.